The Shifters: Katrina

It was clear that Xavier was from Iluita. He knew where to attack, where the citizens would hide, and what places were the most important. His people surrounded the entire town, destroying the shops and houses first, slowing working their way to Coraline's large, glass-walled building. Natives from Iluita were forced into the snow and imprisoned by whatever element they couldn't use, and if they tried escaping together, they were knocked unconscious.

And for every person left unconscious in the cold, my hatred for him increased tenfold.

However, to get to Xavier, I had someone else to go through first.

Not that that was a problem. I hated that certain panda bear anyway.

Once Zella made her appearance, I vowed to survive this battle and come out on top. The descendant had simply smiled, wishing me good health before pulling her usual disappearing act. I sneered, shooting off toward the fight. The energy of a dragon flowed through me as I sprinted, driving straight through the lines of Orgull shifters and hunters. I slammed my arm into the gut of the one I hated the second-most, snarling in her ear as she flew across the town. Xavier and Anna were already gone, vanishing with the crowd as the fight began.

Which meant my focus was all on Sonya.

Her betrayal ran deep, her hunger for appreciation and power driving her to betray her friends. The memory of Ben and Antonio's hurt expressions drove me forward as Sonya coughed, looking up at me from the ground. She snarled, bouncing to her feet as I ran at her. The panda had control over the earth, trying to slow me down as the dirt and snow underneath me rumbled.

However, I was even quicker nowadays.

My fist connected with her face, slamming into her cheek. A tooth fell from her mouth almost immediately, and blood dotted her lips. I sneered, throwing another strike -- but Sonya was quicker as well. She caught my fist, driving her knee into my stomach. We both fell, Sonya straddling my waist and pulling back her hand to hit me.

"You got faster," she snapped, "but I've been training harder than you. You can't win against us now."

I glared. "Don't overestimate yourself."

A wave of power burst from my hands as the snow around me turned into water, blasting Sonya away from me. I nearly laughed as everyone close to us fell to the ground, unable to stand against the wave. My eyes did a once-over of the fighting around us, spotting certain shifters. Koren was locked in a fight with two hunters, a cut running down his cheek, Molly was grappling with a bear, and Tyree was in gorilla form, throwing human hunters in every which way.

"Pay attention!"

I was, dumbass.

Acting distracted was a trick I'd learned from Molly -- and Sonya fell for it perfectly. Her foot flew overhead as I ducked, sweeping her onto the ground. I winced as her head hit the hard dirt first, but the empathy quickly passed. My rage burned bright even as I climbed on top of the groaning shifter, throwing punch after punch.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you so much. You didn't have to do any of what you did," there was a brief sound of dry skin hitting bloody skin, "you could've asked any of us and we would've told you that you were an amazing shifter."

She spat blood from her mouth before fixing a hateful stare on me, her black eyes filled with pure disgust.

"Your opinion is and always will be worthless to me."

My eyes widened as someone grabbed the back of my collar.

"You will never matter, Katrina."

I snarled as whoever had me by the shirt yanked me back, tossing me across the battleground of shifters and hunters. Someone screamed my name as I landed, my side slamming into the unforgiving dirt, my body skidding to a stop once it finally reached the snow. I coughed, waves of pain making my entire being shake like a leaf.

My vision swam as I glanced up, Sonya gone from sight. A flash of movement stood out by Coraline's building, white hair disappearing inside.

She's going after our leader...

I can't let her hurt Coraline!

When I lunged to my feet, I felt my balance wobble. My head pounded as I surveyed the town around me, comparing it to the usual state I had grown accustomed to.

It all felt ruined.

A lump formed in my throat as I saw Nathan, Kami's younger brother, battle a hunter. They seemed neck-and-neck, though the shifter was clearly stronger and kept getting close to winning. Near him was Alisa, the cobra girl. She and the shifter across from her were locked in a dance of blood and fists, and my gut twisted when Alisa went down, grappling with the other person in the snow and dirt.

"Katrina!"

I whirled, ducking out of the way of a horse's kick. Growling, I let a stream of fire shoot out of my hands and onto its legs, kicking the back ones out from underneath it. The horse went down, revealing a virtually untouched Molly on the other side.

She's okay. We're doing okay in this fight.

It must've been my thoughts that jinxed her.

Because it wasn't long before a rhino horn slid clean through her chest, Molly's eyes widening as blood began to pour from her body.

My voice disappeared as I watched her cough, blood splattering the ground. Her legs were limp, unable to catch her as the animal dropped her back to the ground, horn stained bright red.

Molly's lovely, comforting face hit the ground with an ungraceful thud that was unworthy of her.

Molly, my motherly friend.

Molly, with her wide smile and wisdom beyond her years.

Molly.

Molly.

Molly.

"Molly!"

Fire burst from my entire body, save for where the tears were spread across my face. It burned the ends of my hair, melting the snow at my feet as the rhino that had just killed one of my favourite people laid its eyes on me.

You're dead.

"You're. So. Dead!"

Another ring of fire came alive around me, a power wave knocking everyone in the area off their feet. I charged, my footsteps charring the ground as I flew toward the rhino.

It didn't even have time to think.

A mud wall rose from the ground to stop me, but I slammed through it like it was only a small bubble of water. My vision was blurred by tears as I brought a rain of fire down on the rhino, my flaming fist slamming into its face. I screamed, howling from the sheer pain of having to watch Molly die, and proceeded to rip away at its skin, monster strength coursing through my joints. Blood, leathery skin and my own tears coated my face and hands, and when the rhino finally fell to the ground, it looked like a wildcat had tried to eat it alive, with skin hanging on by a mere thread.

It was disgusting.

But so was the rhino's actions.

I felt tears slide down my cheeks, snot clogging my nose as I walked back to where Molly was face down in the dirt and snow. Anyone who tried to attack me was beaten to a pulp, the skin on my knuckles torn and shredded.

I fell to my knees next to Molly, gently rolling her onto her back. I pushed dirt off her face, only to leave a trail of red.

I'm so sorry, I thought to her. Her blood pooled around her body, staining my clothing. You warned me about danger and ended up getting killed in my stead.

My eyes lifted from the woman in my arms to the fight around me. Whoever Alisa had been fighting with had won -- horror overcame me as I saw Alisa's blonde braids sprayed by red, the cobra's eyes wide open and staring at the sky.

I knew that despite those open eyes, she did not see the gray sky above us.

Choking on my cries, I felt a gutteral howl of pain slip out, alerting everyone in the area to my pain. People flinched at the mere sound of it as I sobbed, my fire still burning brightly around me.

And I knew, deep down, that I would have to watch Nathan die this way as well.

Because Xavier was in Iluita, and so was Coraline.

I couldn't stop my dream from becoming reality.

I probably would've stayed there with Molly for ages, crying over her.

But there was always someone to pull me out of my pain.

"Katrina. Katrina, please. Snap out of it."

Hands grabbed Molly, threatening to pull her away from me. My fire burned hotter, trying to burn the thief, except that same thief simply diffused the flames with a wave of his hand.

"Katrina," Koren hissed, "it's me. It's Koren."

He pulled me into his chest, ignoring the blood on my hands and on his face.

"She's dead," I whimpered. "Molly and Alisa are dead."

He hushed me, pulling me to my feet. I thrashed, trying to cling to Molly.

"No!" I screamed. "I don't want to leave her!"

Koren's arms were like an iron cage around me, my mind as clouded as a wild animal's. I couldn't think straight -- if I could've, I would've broken away from him easily.

I don't know how long I stood like that, fighting against him as a battle raged around us. More people were cut down on both sides, though it seemed like Iluita had the upper hand.

Whatever the case was, it didn't matter. Nothing got through to me as I fought, trying to pull away from the wolf that kept me locked in place.

"Katrina..," Koren sighed, "you promised. You promised you wouldn't lose your head."

I ignored him.

"If you don't keep that promise, then we'll lose this fight. Shae will die."

I froze.

"Tyree will die. Kami will die. Quintin will die. Rowan, Luke, Dani, Ben, Antonio, Sam, Max, Chloe, Victoria, Rachel, Aaron, Coraline -- even I will die."

My entire body trembled, but the cloud of grief was beginning to lift off my mind.

"I want to cry too," Koren admitted. "But I can't. Neither can you. Not here and now."

Another tear slipped down the side of my face.

"We need to win first."

I sagged forward as he let me go, turning to save another Iluita shifter from a hunter. Once the hunter was unconscious on the ground, Koren gently grabbed my shoulder.

"...Katrina?"

Sniffling, I forced myself to stand tall. My emotions were stored in the back of my mind, ready to come forward once I had a chance to properly let them out.

"I'm better," I croaked, keeping my eyes off the ground. I didn't want to see another limp figure that I recognized. "Sonya went after Coraline. Someone needs to make sure she's okay."

Koren flashed me a sad smile. "So go, then."

I shook my head. "Koren, you should, you're obviously better suited--"

"--no, Katrina," he denied softly. "You can do this."

But if I go into her building, will I end up on the roof? Will I end up seeing everything from my dream happening?

I took a deep breath, trying to soothe my trembling hands.

"Thank you, Koren," I told him, glancing at Coraline's building. "Try to stay safe, alright?"

He scoffed, already moving toward another fight. "If that's going to end up being the last words you ever say to me, I'll be pissed."

I smirked, brushing past him as I sprinted to hunt down Sonya.

"Then make sure you survive this, Koren."

I have a new book ready to drop soon!

This was one I wrote in its entirety before even announcing, so once I start uploading chapters, I won't stop!

Well, I haven't started the sequel, so there'll be a pause while I write that...

But! I'm just hoping some of you will be interested in reading that one too. Let me know when y'all want the new book :) you can check my wall for more info.